Country music show at Neely Farms

Tailgating to kick off day of music

Party on the Farm organizer Adam Potts at Neely Farms.

Conyers native Adam Potts is trying to bring big-city entertainment to east Atlanta, and he’s hoping more than 2,000 people will come out to his Party on the Farm tailgate and country music concert Saturday.

The all-day event is from 1 p.m. to around 11 p.m. at Neely Farms, the large hayfield located next to Covington Ford on the Covington Bypass Road. It will kick off with a tailgate party, followed by performances by six local and state country music artists, and culminate with a performance by nationally-known artist Craig Campbell.

Tickets are $20 apiece if pre-ordered online — partyonthefarmgeorgia.com — and $30 at the gate. Parking is $5 — cash only. Kids ages 12 and under can attend for free with an adult.

The event is the first foray into the concert promotion world for Potts, a 2002 Heritage High School graduate who hopes his Six String Southern Productions company will be able to present multiple shows per year in the area.

As a country music fan, Potts figured a country music concert would be a natural place to start, and he found a lot of talent nearby.

"I see a lot of good local people. It’s wild how many people in Covington play music and country music," Potts said.

Local performers Drew Parker, Taylor Marie and Ashley Walden will kick off the show. Parker performed at Covington’s Independence in the Park celebration and is a nominee for the 2013 Georgia Country Awards Male Artist of the Year, while Marie is a 2013 nominee for Female Artist of the Year. Walden has had songs featured on 94.9 The Bull in Atlanta.

Georgia artists Jordan Rager, who appeared on TV’s "The Voice," and Highway 55, which won the 2012 and 2013 Georgia Music Awards Band of the Year award, will also perform.

Tailgating will begin at 1 p.m., and attendees are invited to bring their own coolers and food; grills won’t be allowed because the event is being held in a hay field.

The concert gate will open at 3 p.m. and performances will start at 4:30 p.m.

The entrance to the event is the paved driveway between Covington Ford and Neely Farms; there will be signs guiding those attending.

Neely Farms offers a large, amphitheater-style hillside, Potts said, which will ensure good views for attendees, who are invited to bring folding chairs and blankets. Local restaurant Just Dogs is providing food and will offer hot dogs, bratwurst, sausages, hamburgers, vegetarian burgers, chicken sandwiches, popcorn, ice cream and cotton candy. Outside food and drinks won’t be allowed inside the gate.

Alcohol will be sold at the event, which will be the first in Covington to take advantage of a recently-passed law that allows restaurants that have on-premises alcohol licenses to get a special catering license to sell alcohol at a private event.

The event will have inflatables, and other vendors will have displays, including a motorsports company.

Potts hopes to make the event annual and hopes to present more concerts and other events in the east Atlanta market.

"This is like a first impression, the first time to prove (my company) to Covington," Potts said Thursday.

"This is definitely something I want to keep bringing back. I want to do something, try something new.

"I want something for people out here so they can have what Atlanta has, Alpharetta and Macon, those bigger cities."